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United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomes the start of the cessation of hostilities in Yemen

11 Apr2016

United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomes the start of the cessation of hostilities in Yemen

The United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomes the start of cessation of hostilities that began at midnight, 10 April 2016. He urges all parties to work to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is fully respected, and creates a conducive environment for the peace talks scheduled to resume in Kuwait on 18 April.

“Both sides have committed to adhere to the Terms and Conditions for the cessation of hostilities which I presented,” said the Envoy. “I ask all the parties and the international community to remain steadfast in support for this cessation of hostilities to be a first step in Yemen’s return to peace. This is critical, urgent and much needed. Yemen cannot afford the loss of more lives.”

The Special Envoy highlighted that the Terms and Conditions for the cessation of hostilities included commitments for the unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen.

The De-escalation and Co-ordination Committee has been reconvened in Kuwait and will work to bolster adherence to the cessation of hostilities. This Committee, comprised of military representatives from both sides, recently concluded a capacity building exercise conducted by experts from the European Union.“Much work lies ahead to ensure full respect of the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks in Kuwait. Now is the time to step back from the brink. The progress made represents a real opportunity to rebuild a country that has suffered far too much violence for far too long,” added the Special Envoy. “A positive outcome will require difficult compromises from all sides, courage and determination to reach an agreement.”

Preparations are currently well underway for the start of the Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations. The talks will focus on five main areas: the withdrawal of militias and armed groups, the handover of heavy weapons to the State, interim security arrangements, the restoration of state institutions and the resumption of inclusive political dialogue, in addition to the creation of a special committee for prisoners and detainees.

OSESGY Highlights

Martin Griffiths: Track II efforts complement official negotiations, and lay the foundation for peace-building in Yemen

The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, stressed the importance of ongoing Track II efforts, as complementary to official negotiations in Yemen, indicating that it is crucial to work on peace-building in Yemen, in parallel to official diplomatic efforts, known as Track I, to end the war. He added that “the real work in Yemen starts the day after we reach a political deal. We should all work to prepare for that day.

Martin Griffiths to CNN: There is an urgent need to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen

The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths stressed the importance of turning the calls for de-escalation in Yemen into action. Speaking to Becky Anderson, on CNN's Connect the World on Thursday, Griffiths mentioned that there is "a very strong desire to move from war to peace in Yemen", adding that the challenge now is to turn the calls for de-escalation into action. "What we now urgently need to do is to see what are the first steps that we can make on de-escalating this conflict to give some space for the political process." Griffiths clarified that while a ceasefire is not a pre-condition for resuming political consultations, "the urgent need now is to do something on the issue of downing the temperature of the war while we move towards talks." The Special Envoy confirmed that he is working on re-launching the political talks this month, adding that no firm date and venue have been decided yet.